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‘I felt like my heart was being ripped out’: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer reflects on firing goalkeeping coach and close friend Toni Tapalovic for leaking chats to players
- Manuel Neuer was devastated by the firing of goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic
- Tapalovic was fired for leaking chats between staff members to players
- Neuer also reflected on the injury he sustained during a skiing accident.
Manuel Neuer has revealed that he “felt his heart being ripped out” when he found out that Bayern Munich was sacking goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic.
Tapalovic had been Bayern’s goalkeeping coach since 2011 and was previously Neuer’s teammate at Schalke.
However, Tapalovic was sacked last month after Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann discovered that he had leaked internal chats to players.
Manuel Neuer (R) was devastated by Bayern Munich’s decision to sack Toni Tapalovic (L)
Bayern fired goalkeeping coach Tapalovic for leaking internal chats to club players
It was reported that last season, Nagelsmann became frustrated that the coach relayed conversations between staff members to Neuer and then to the rest of the players.
Neuer says he was surprised by Bayern’s decision to sack Tapalovic, as the latter was best man at his wedding.
neuer said the athletic: ‘That punch hit me extremely hard.
‘The club officials told me. He came out of nowhere. For Tony too. I didn’t understand that at all. He really brought me down.
‘Toni was always a team player with us, everyone saw him that way. He was not working for me for eleven and a half years, but for the entire group of goalkeepers, for the coaching staff and for the club. We were always able to separate work from private life.
“I understand that it may seem like I’m not being objective or credible, but I can really tell the difference. For me, that was a blow, when I was already on the ground. I felt like my heart was being ripped out. It was the most brutal thing I have experienced in my career. And I have experienced a lot.
Neuer fractured his tibia and fibula after a skiing accident after Germany’s elimination from the World Cup
Neuer also reflected on the ski injury he sustained after Germany’s World Cup elimination.
The goalkeeper was left with a fractured tibia and fibula after the incident on December 9.
Neuer recalled how emotional she was after finding out she had to have surgery.
He said: ‘I sat here at home and I felt like shit. I couldn’t sit still, I also didn’t want to watch the games at first. I couldn’t bear it.
‘What I flatter you is telling the people around you what happened, that you need surgery. He was very emotional, it really affected me…he had a lump in his throat and tears were falling.’
“When it turned out that it was operable, I was sure everything would be fine.”
Neuer will miss the rest of the season through injury as Bayern signed Yann Sommer on an 18-month deal.